Snowflake
by RainbowDashFanClub
Summary: A human child ends up in Equestria by unknown means, and it is the personal goal of everypony closely involved with her, her adopted mother Luna, her adopted aunt Celestia, and her foal-sitter Twilight, to figure it out. How and why are the least of their worries when figuring this out.
1. Not From Around Here

Princess Celestia had already gone to bed, a few hours ago. When there was no reason to be on lookout, Princess Luna would simply wander the castle at night, occasionally entering her subjects' dreams if it was necessary. Otherwise, she had very little to nothing to do. "Immortality and royalty gets old sometimes," Luna sighed to herself, quietly as to not wake her sister. So as of now she was walking around, pacing I guess, the main room. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

Wondering who would want to see her or her sister at such a late hour, Luna trotted over to the door. She opened it and looked around. At first she saw nothing, just the dark streets of Canterlot branching out from the palace in all directions, the cobblestone pathways and streets, the parked carriages, the dimmed lamps, and the central clock tower showing the time: 1:26 a.m. Soon, though, she heard a soft noise. It sounded like the sound everypony makes when they sleep, Luna was quite familiar with that noise. She looked down, and there was a small cardboard box. The Princess rolled her eyes. Something of such insignificance shouldn't be set right outside the palace doors! But since she had nothing better to do, Luna opened the box with her magic and looked inside.

In this box was a peculiar sight indeed. There was something inside, wrapped in a light blue blanket. There were several dirt stains on the blanket and a little note was pinned to it. "Give to a good home," it said. It looked vaguely pony-like, however it had no coat, and it was pretty much hairless, other than the minimal hair on its head. Its muzzle was very small, and as far as Luna could tell, it had no tail. She checked her memory for anything even remotely like this, but the Princess came up dry. She'd never seen a creature quite like this before, although it, or perhaps she, was notably female. Luna knew that nopony ever gave up something like that if they wanted it, and since it was obviously asleep, Luna thought it best to take it inside. She could find the owner of this… thing… later. The Princess set the papoose on the couch, and she awoke from her slumber. She looked perplexed, not scared, simply confused a little. Luna looked back at her, and she felt this aching feeling as she looked. Whatever species, most children grow up and therefore look roughly the same, and this child couldn't be more than 4 years old. Luna gently pulled up the torn blanket; she didn't seem to mind and snuggled up with one of the dark blue throw pillows and grasping its… claws? Hooves? Luna saw these things that looked remotely like… well… she didn't know, really. Then Luna remembered something. Twilight had gone through the mirror to that other world, and she'd seen some sort of odd creatures there, and she'd come back with tales about tall, fleshy, two-legged things and spoke about these things called 'hands'. Maybe this thing was from that other world.

Her skin was sort of beige colored, her hair was a light brown and was quite short. She didn't remember Twilight talking about that from her journeys there. However, for now, Twilight was all the way over in Ponyville, her sister was asleep, and she had a 4-year-old on her hooves. Luna knew that all children need the same care, regardless of species. She'd helped her sister care for Philomena when she was little, and she'd also assisted her sister in taking care of her niece (that's just what she calls her, though), Princess Cadence. So she fetched a nice, warm blanket from her own bed and lay down on the couch. "Thank… you…" the child stuttered, slowly, unsurely, as Luna draped the blanket over her with her magic. Then she lay on Luna's forehoof and looked up at the Princess. "You… sleep… too," she said, trying to keep her eyes open. Then she yawned and closed her eyes. "I will, soon, little one," said Luna, being a bit overly nice in her own opinion, "I will. Soon." But deep in her mind, Luna knew that she'd never be able to get any sleep with this little child around. And she wasn't even tired; she'd slept all day so she could stay up all night. It was her duty, after all, to watch over the night.


	2. Snowflake It Is

The next morning, Luna was still there, on the couch, although she had fallen asleep against her own will. Something about having someone else there, their soft breathing, their occasional shifting, that lulls you to sleep. Princess Celestia, at first, didn't see the little child. She thought that there was simply a large wad in the blanket. She gently shook Princess Luna awake, and Luna said, "Huh?" before realizing that she'd been asleep. "Oh," Luna said shamefully, "I fell asleep, didn't I, Tia? I'm sorry… I should have stayed up… However, I had the most interesting dream. There was a chi…" She cut herself off when she saw the little child wake up, pick herself off the couch, and cautiously stand up, holding onto the back of the couch. "Lulu?" asked Celestia, "What. Is. That?" "I wasn't dreaming," said Luna. "Hi Tia," said the child, looking up at Princess Celestia, apparently having overheard what Luna called her, and then she turned to Luna. "Hi Lulu," she said, smiling.

"It can talk?!" exclaimed Celestia. "Yes," said Luna, "Would you like an explanation?" "Yes, please!" exclaimed Celestia, throwing her hooves up in frustration. So Luna told her the whole thing. "So you found a child of another species that neither of us knows about in a cardboard box outside the palace gates? And you took it… her… inside and gave her a blanket and a place to sleep?!" said Celestia, still unsure of whether or not she comprehended the situation. Luna nodded. "Lulu!" said the child, "Have some breakfast?" "Um… yes, little one," said Luna, "Tia? Can we take her to breakfast with us? The royal cooks are waiting." "Yes… I think so…" said Princess Celestia, "But you may not let her be seen. We are unsure of what everypony else will think." "How about we leave her here, and we bring back whatever she wants?" suggested Luna. "Milk!" exclaimed the child. "Milk and what, child?" asked Celestia, "You must have a meal. How about we bring you some bread?" "Whee!" exclaimed the child, dropping down onto the couch and throwing her… hands… above her. "I'd take that as a 'yes', Tia," said Luna, walking with her sister over to the dining room to get some breakfast.

They came back from the room, and the child had gotten into the quills. She'd gotten a piece of paper, cut out a crown-like shape, and drawn some stuff on it so it looked just like Princess Celestia's crown design, more or less. In the middle, she drew a snowflake. "I'm a Princess too!" exclaimed the child when Celestia asked what she was doing. "We need a name for her," said Luna. "Like what?" asked Celestia, looking for any distinctive features and finding none. Then she looked at the symbol that the child had drawn. "I… have an idea, actually," said Celestia, "How about… 'Snowflake'?" "How do you like that name?" asked Celestia. "I'm Snowflake!" exclaimed Snowflake, ecstatically. "Snowflake it is," said Luna.

~About a week later…

"Princess Celestia? You asked for me?" asked Twilight, walking into the throne room, "Some sort of alien species you wanted me to identify?" "Yes, Twilight, sort of," said Celestia, "Come with me." They walked up to Princess Luna's room, and they walked in. There was Princess Luna and Snowflake, both sitting on the couch. Luna was sitting in the traditional style, and so was Snowflake, however she looked slightly weird doing so. Twilight's first reaction was to stare at Snowflake, but not for the same reason that most ponies would have. "Why is she sitting like that?" asked Twilight, "It's not natural for them… hey, little one. Nice to meet you." She held out a hoof, and Snowflake didn't change position even a little to reach out and shake it. "A pleasure, Twilight Sparkle," she said. "Who's been teaching her?" asked Twilight. "I have," said Celestia, "Is this a problem?" "She's a bit too formal, right, Twilight?" asked Luna, visibly a little hurt that Snowflake was acting like this and had been taught to.

Twilight nodded. "She's royalty now," said Celestia, "And she should act like it, should she not?" "I'm royalty too, Celestia," said Twilight, unfolding her wings and fluttering them a bit, "But I'm not forced to act like that." "Yes, Twilight, but that's… It's different…" said Celestia, trying to argue a moot point, then she sighed and said, "You're right, Twilight. I shouldn't be so harsh about it." "Its okay, Celestia, you're not experienced in raising a child," said Twilight, "Not saying that I am, but… there are books on the subject!" "Okay, Twilight," said Luna, "To the library! Come, Snowflake!"

They arrived at the Canterlot Public Library (one of Twilight's first decrees as a princess was to put a public library in every single town in Equestria, after the 'National Cake Day' thing) and walked inside. There were a few strange glances from passersby at the sight of the child, who walked on two legs but was still just about as tall as Twilight as she did so. Something told them that she would end up much taller. But regardless, they searched for a book on the subject, and eventually they found one.

They read for hours, and soon Snowflake was very bored. She walked around the library, skimming her hands along the books. Soon she'd done that with every single book she could reach, and she was bored again. And so Snowflake looked around. Big books, small books, medium size books. Suddenly she had an idea. She took out a bunch of books, stacking them upon each other. Up, down, left, right, sideways, closed, open, half-open-but-not-really-open, Snowflake put books in pretty much any direction she pleased. And a little later, when Twilight walked over, Snowflake was inside this large book-castle. "Whoa," said Twilight, having made book forts herself but not book castles, "Nice book fort you've got there, Snowflake." "Thank you, Twilight!" exclaimed Snowflake, "I have book fort!" "Hey, Luna! Your daughter got sort of bored, so you've got a pretty epic book fort going here," Twilight called over. Luna trotted over and said, "My… what?" Twilight said, "Oh, sorry, I took from how you'd acted that you were raising this child, but if she's not…" "Sorry, Twilight," Luna replied, "I've just… not quite gotten used to the title before." "My little sis is a mother," Celestia muttered, reshelving the books that they'd taken down while looking for that one book earlier.

"I'll have to take your book fort apart, if that's okay with you, Snowflake," said Twilight. "Okay, Twilight," said Snowflake, picking up a book, "Can I help?" "Sure," Twilight said sympathetically, only putting away the ones that Snowflake herself couldn't reach high enough to reshelf. So soon the books were reshelved and they went back to the castle. When they arrived there, they had lunch, and Snowflake went and made… you guessed it…

Paper snowflakes.

Twilight taught her.

Don't ask me why.

I don't know.


	3. Cutie Mark?

~6 years later…

It was only a matter of time before Twilight's friends would hear about Snowflake. And hear about her they did, actually, Snowflake's bestest friend out of all of them was Pinkie Pie. Snowflake wasn't quite as bubbly-bouncy as Pinkie, but she still liked having fun and baking sweets. Rarity taught Snowflake (and she wanted to learn, for that matter) how to be a proper mare, she got very good at daintily holding a teacup and taking little, lady-like sips. She learned how to be nice and kind and compassionate from Fluttershy, although a pony as introverted as Fluttershy isn't quite the best teacher. However, Snowflake understood completely and actually helped Fluttershy become a little less… well… shy. Rainbow Dash, with her heavy focus on flying and Snowflake's lack of wings, didn't pay much attention to Snowflake. Applejack helped Snowflake along however she could, but she had little experience with dealings in royal matters. Twilight was almost a foal-sitter to Snowflake, taking care of her. They even used the Sunshine tailshake from when Twilight had been a little foal. Since Snowflake was pretty much, and for all practical purposes, Luna's daughter, they outfitted her with some royal clothes (so she wouldn't run around naked like anypony else would).

Rarity had absolutely insisted that she make Snowflake a dress, though she had Snowflake model directly as none of her mannequins were even the slightest bit useful in this circumstance. Snowflake's casual, wear-everyday clothes included a slightly altered version of the Princesses' signature necklaces, which was morphed into a quasi-sports-bra thing to fit her form, made of alluminite and lined on the inside with white silk. In the center there was a purple gem, the same cut and type of amethyst that sat on Celestia's necklace and crown. They had a crown made for Snowflake as well, and although it wasn't nearly as fancy as her Aunt Celestia's or her foal-sitter Twilight's or even her mother Luna's, it sufficed. It was designed similarly to the one that Snowflake herself had designed when she was 5, in actuality. Since nopony knew Snowflake's actual birthday, they decided to make the day that Luna found her on the doorstep, May the 7th, her birthday. 7 is considered a lucky number, as it was explained to Snowflake, because it's how many limbs the alicorns have. Four legs, two wings and a horn. "Like mum?" Snowflake asked. "Like your mum Luna, yes," said Twilight.

And so it was around time that most ponies would get their cutie marks. Somewhere between the ages of 9 and 12, depending on the pony, some as early as 7. But Snowflake was 10 years old, approximately, and nopony was sure what her special talent was, if she could even get a cutie mark since she wasn't exactly a pony. "I hope I get a cutie mark soon," Snowflake said, "I don't wanna be a nopony." "Don't worry," said Twilight comfortingly, "You won't be a nopony. You'll be special no matter what." "Because I'm the only… whatever I am… in all of Equestria?" said Snowflake, hanging her head, "Yeah, I know… I'm a freak." "Who told you that?!" exclaimed Twilight. "Some… ponies…" said Snowflake. "Well, tell them that Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Harmony and Magic, sends this message," said Twilight, "I'll turn you ponies into cacti if you don't behave yourselves!" Snowflake giggled, "I'll tell them that. Thanks, Twilight." "You're welcome, Snowflake," said Twilight.

"Sunshine, Sunshine," Snowflake started, marching in place.

"Ladybugs, awake!" Twilight continued, they both put their hooves/hands over their eyes as they crouched down, then they pulled them away.

"Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" they exclaimed in unison, then they erupted into a giggle fit and fell onto the couch.

~A little later…

"Princess Celestia?" asked Twilight, knocking on Celestia's door. "Yes, Twilight?" said Celestia as she opened it. "I need to speak with you about some… things," said Twilight. "Come in," Celestia announced, Twilight walked inside and she magically shut the door behind her. Twilight trotted over to the couch and sat down. "Snowflake wants a cutie mark," Twilight announced. "Is that even possible?" asked Celestia, "You told me nothing of it when you were back from that alternate world…" "I don't know if it's possible," Twilight said, "And that's what's got me worried. However, I think I've got a solution to this. Remember the Archives?" "Yes, what about them?" asked Celestia. As of recently, she'd started pulling her mane back into a ponytail, and it actually made her look slightly less majestic and regal. Actually, the Princess had acted much less like her usual self since Snowflake had come.

"The archives have some ancient texts that could help us out with this, maybe there used to be creatures just like Snowflake a long time ago, and now there aren't," Twilight explained. "Nice, Twilight!" said Celestia, sounding vaguely Pinkie-like, "So, we're going to the archives?" "Yep!" said Twilight. Celestia paused for a moment, then she said as she bounced off the bed, "Okie Dokie Loki!" Twilight giggled a bit as she thought, "She's gone nuts…" But she followed Celestia as they bounced down the halls and toward the Canterlot Archives. A little ways down the hall, several of the guards saw the two Princesses acting like little foals, and one said to the other, "What the…" Then the other one said, "I don't get paid enough to deal with these shenanigans…"


	4. One Book, Many Memories

When they arrived at the Canterlot Archives, they walked inside and searched behind the tomes containing magic spells and ancient poems and stories to find some history books. "No, no, no, no…" Twilight went on, levitating over tons of books in a row and checking through them at incredible speeds. Meanwhile, Celestia wasn't having much luck either. They kept searching, flipping through tons of books and trying to find some occurrence of the type of creature that was like Snowflake. And once they'd turned the entirety of the archives upside down, they felt about to give up. "Well, there aren't any other books here…" said Twilight. Celestia sighed and flopped down onto a stack of books, several of them flew out and one crashed into a bookshelf, knocking off a book with a dust-covered, dark purple cover onto Twilight's face. After the initial shock of it, she raised an eyebrow when she saw the strange markings on it. The pages were yellowed with age, but they were all intact and the script wasn't the slightest bit faded. "This is Old Equestrian," Twilight said, "Celestia? Can you read this?"

"Of course, Twilight!" said Celestia, levitating the book over, "It says… wait… Twilight! I can't believe you found this!" She turned to the cover, keeping it open to that same page, though. "'DIARY' is the only word on the cover," said Celestia, "This is the diary of somepony! Great job, Twilight! It wouldn't be in this library if this wasn't somepony important!" "Um, thanks!" said Twilight, "Can you read that section, though?" "Sure," Celestia began again.

"April 29," Celestia read aloud, translating the script, "Dear diary…

Today, we met a tribe of humans that live near a forest. They seem to have impressive magic, but it's derived from some small pieces of… well… we aren't sure yet. We will annihilate these humans, if it's the last thing we do! They captivated us, encaged us… we do not have the magic… or, as they call it, technology… that they do, but we have our magic and our forces. Besides, these humans have lost their 'planes' and their 'fighter jets' as they call them, so they can no longer compare with our pegasi in the sky. This is going well…"

"This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Twilight, "So not only did we have experiences with these creatures… humans, they're called… but we hunted and killed them?!" "I believe so," Celestia said solemnly, "Would you like me to continue?" Twilight sighed. She didn't exactly want to hear any more, but she did, but she didn't… "Yes," Twilight said finally, doing it for Snowflake's sake.

"May 1," Celestia continued, "Dear diary…

We've nearly destroyed all their resources. They're boxed in, and we're gathering our troops for one big assault. From our math, there are exactly 20 humans left there. We could just let them die, of hunger or thirst, but we aren't monsters. We're ponies, and we plan to stay that way. We don't want to destroy ourselves like the humans did. No, we will organize a land of harmony and order and discipline. And I will plant the Tree of Harmony, deep within the forest, immediately after we destroy the last of the humans. I have figured recently that I will give names, unlike human names, that mean something, to all who follow me. I believe I shall make a name for myself as well, other than just the letter C. That's not a very good name, is that? No, I don't think it is. I know of a name for myself, I shall write it in the back of this book."

"Don't skip to the back of the book quite yet," said Twilight, "We want to see the rest of this first." "Good idea," said Celestia, "But whoever this is, she's perfectly insane!" "I'd agree," said Twilight. Then Celestia continued.

"May 6," Celestia read, "Dear diary…

We've corralled our forces. We've launched our assault. We've diminished them, and now all that remains is the destruction of the humans. I have planted the seed, the Tree of Harmony is growing right before my eyes. It is a beauty, indeed. My cutie mark, as well as my sister's, I am carving into the trunk of the tree. I will also carve our symbol for magic into the center of the tree. The rest of the clan want my sister and me to be appointed as the rulers of this land, and I have agreed. I will write my sister's name in the back of this book as well, now that I think about it. But to become ruler, I will erase my memory of the events up to now, as soon as this war is over, and I will place this book in the Canterlot Archives, which has recently been built. We decided to name our cities after human cities, to give a sort of 'last rights' thing to the now-dead race that created us with their virus."

"Are you thinking the same thing that I am?" Twilight said. "No, I don't believe so," said Celestia, looking confused. "Um… keep reading. I'm sure that the book will tell us," said Twilight, not knowing what would happen if she revealed it to Celestia before she was ready. However, they were only two pages from the back of the book. She'd find out real soon anyways.

"There's a line across the page, and it says, 'that afternoon…' on it," said Celestia.

"Keep reading," said Twilight.

Celestia nodded and continued, "Dear diary…

THIS IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPENED! IMBECILES! I… need to calm down. Regardless, I have been informed recently that one human got away, and was magically teleported someplace else! One. Human. Child. Got. AWAY! Well, regardless, we have forged a set of magical gemstones that represent five important values in our culture, so that we can kill this child whenever it reappears. We have been informed that it can only have gone into the future, though we don't know how far. But I will erase my memory soon. Very soon. The war is over. But we cannot seem to tame the last of their world, the forest near their last town. We will simply loose the rest of their monstrous creatures into the forest and warn everypony to never go in there. We must give it a name, but not a formidable name… the Everfree Forest. Yes, that's it. The last thing I need to say is that we will never be second-class citizens again. Never be slaves again. And we will design our culture to be different than the humans, so we will not destroy ourselves. I believe this is my final entry. Goodbye, memories, goodbye, self. And most importantly… Goodbye, humans."

Celestia turned one last page, to see what was written in the back of the book. To see the names of this insane pony and her sister. And Princess Celestia took one look and couldn't say anything. She couldn't say one little bit. "Celestia?" asked Twilight worriedly. Then the world seemed to move in slow motion, as Celestia's magical grip on the book was released, and it fell to the floor. It made a soft THUNK as it hit the ground, falling open to the back of the book. Twilight looked down, and her heart nearly stopped. Her suspicions were correct. Written in Celestia's signature writing, in shining black ink, were two names.

"Celestia and Luna," Twilight read aloud.


	5. Cutie Mark Crusaders

Snowflake walked in the door, quite quickly. She saw Celestia, looking dumbfounded, and Twilight, equally so. "Twilight?" asked Snowflake, "Is something wrong?" Twilight listened, her ear twitching a little, then she slowly turned her head. She looked over at Snowflake with this look of extreme sadness combined with surprise and grief. Then Twilight said slowly, "Something, no, everything, yes."

She told Snowflake as much as she could muster about what they'd read, without bursting into tears, that is. At the end, Snowflake said, "Okay, then. So… what do we plan on doing about it?" And for the first time in what seemed like hours, Celestia spoke. "I am no longer the mare I was then," she said, "So we continue acting as things were before. But we came to see if you could get a cutie mark, Snowflake, so that's what I plan to do." She levitated the book back up, tilting it gently back and forth. "And I believe that the answer lies within this book," Celestia said, opening it to a certain page and reading aloud.

"January 30," Celestia said, "Dear diary,

Our war with the humans has begun. We think that they only experimented on us because we were the most compatible with the virus. And now that we have broken free of their captivity, we plan on using our superior magic to destroy them. We can make more of us the usual way, thank you very much. Our ways are much better than theirs, and we will simply have to make them see this. And if they don't, then they will be destroyed. We, or rather, I, think that they originally planned to only use us for a time, then toss us away when they figure out how to make the virus compatible with humans. Actually, I know that this is true, because I know that they have already tossed away their sanity and begun experimenting on others of their species. We ponies will never make that mistake. One of the humans that I know of that has already gotten this modification is residing in a small human town on the edge of a large forest. It is a child, of age 4. We will make sure to annihilate that village last."

"Well, if our ability to fly, use magic, and get cutie marks depends on this virus… and that we're pretty sure that Snowflake got that virus… that means that yes, she can get a cutie mark," Twilight thought aloud. "Good thinking, Twilight," said Snowflake with a smile, "Now I can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" "I don't know how you manage to be the only human alive after us ponies annihilated everyone of your kind and still seek company with ponies," Twilight said. "I don't know either," said Snowflake, "Probably because humans made that virus and enslaved ponies, but ponies raised me! I… don't think of myself as a human. Just a really odd looking pony."

And so she ran off.

"Luna raised her well," Twilight muttered, trotting out of the Archives. Celestia then began organizing the whole thing. And Snowflake ran off to find the CMC and join their group, in an effort to find her special talent and get her cutie mark. She arrived at the train station and looked down a little to look the pony there in the eye. She was a little over his height, about an inch or two. "This is the train to Ponyville?" she asked. "Um, yes, ma'am…" he said, a little confused as to what exactly she was. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, getting on the train and sitting down. There wasn't a huge crowd, but she did achieve several odd glances, to each she smiled and waved, then looked forward once more. Soon the train left for Ponyville.

When Snowflake arrived in Ponyville, she paid her two bits and hopped (literally) off the train. She ran all the way to the CMC's clubhouse, and she climbed up the ladder. She knocked on the door, and the voices from inside stopped. "I'll get it," said a voice that sounded somewhere between Rainbow Dash's and Pinkie Pie's. A dark orange pegasus filly with a lavender mane opened the door and looked up. "Hey, guys! Guess what! The rumors are true!" she exclaimed into the clubhouse behind her. "What can we ya for, Princess Snowflake?" asked a yellow filly earth pony with red hair and a huge pink bow in her mane, she spoke sort of like Applejack, but higher pitched. "I heard that you had an organization going here, called the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" said Snowflake. "Yeah," said the pegasus, "What's it to ya?" "I'd like to join, I don't have a cutie mark either!" Snowflake exclaimed, pulling up her short skirt. "Can ya'll even get a cutie mark?" asked the earth pony. "Yeah," said Snowflake cheerily.

"Okay, then come on in!" exclaimed a voice from inside, she sounded like a combination of Rarity and Fluttershy. "Sweetie Belle! We can't just let in anypony!" the pegasus yelled back. "Oh, don't worry about it," said the earth pony, "Dodos aren't notably smart." "Hey! Apple Bloom, I told you not to call me that!" exclaimed the pegasus. "Okay, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom sighed. "Apology accepted," said Scootaloo, "Now, we have to do the ceremony."

"What ceremony?" asked Snowflake.

"You'll see," said Scootaloo, "Prepare the ceremonial stuff!"

"Come on back in about a half hour," said Apple Bloom, "We'll have it all ready for ya by then."

"Okay!" exclaimed Snowflake, waving as she left, "See ya later!"

And so Snowflake came back in a half hour, and Scootaloo was standing in back of a set of large drums, Sweetie Belle was standing atop a podium, and Apple Bloom was standing on the other side of the podium. Snowflake entered, and Scootaloo enthusiastically banged on the drums, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Everyone in the room was sort of shaken. But they quickly got back on track, and Sweetie Belle picked up the paper. "We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Princess Snowflake…" she said, then Snowflake said, "Just Snowflake is fine." "Okay," said Sweetie Belle, "Just Snowflake… to join us as a friend through thick and thin, a sister in triumphs both large and small, and an amiga toward the goal in achieving our cutie marks! We now proclaim you for now and forever more, as a fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders! Congratulations!" And so Apple Bloom pulled out from behind her back a cape, and Snowflake bowed down so Apple Bloom could put it on her. "So," said Snowflake, "What kind of crusading do we want to do today?" "Sky diving!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "Sewing!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "We could help mah sis out on the farm!" suggested Apple Bloom. "Let's do all of those things!" exclaimed Snowflake, "Well, excepting possibly skydiving. That might be a bit dangerous. Also, it costs a bunch of bits."

"I'd only agree with you on the second one," said Scootaloo, "But let's get to sewing! We can sew something for you, Snowflake!" "Great idea!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, "C'mon, girls, let's go to my sister's place to get some supplies!" They all put their hooves and hands together and exclaimed (incredibly loudly), "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, OUTFIT MAKERS!" Then they ran outside into the autumn air, toward Rarity's boutique.

When they arrived, Sweetie Belle told the rest to stay outside while she got some fabric and stuff. She came back with a ton of fabric, apparently she'd given Rarity the 'adorable eyes' treatment. Then they all rode off in the scooter-drawn wagon… thing. Whatever. Anyways, they arrived back at the clubhouse and everypony got to work. Meanwhile, Snowflake modeled for everything. Sweetie Belle sketched it out, just like Rarity usually does, although, as Scootaloo pointed out, it looked like some sort of cowering timberwolf. Sweetie Belle shoved her away and continued, saying, "IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS!"

Then came the designing of the pattern, which they didn't do, they went straight to doubling over the base fabric and having Snowflake lay on it, arms and legs extended out to the sides. She got poked with the scissors multiple times while they were trying to make it. But they made the skirt knee-length and very puffy, it had ¾ length sleeves that were incredibly loose. There were ruffles EVERYWHERE, courtesy of Sweetie Belle, and since she didn't have her sister's talent with magically affixing gems to things, they made a silver chain for the necklace and left it at that. They made a pair of stockings that went up to her mid-thighs, with ruffles at the tops, of course. They were blue and white striped, the dress was bright red and there was a gigantic pink bow on the back, courtesy of Apple Bloom. There were a ton of lightning bolts everywhere, courtesy of Scootaloo.

In the end, it fit, but the dress looked like a mixed up jumble of stuff that all the Crusaders would wear. It had stuff that Apple Bloom would wear, therefore it had a bunch of red and yellow and apples and leaves, also a bunch of pointed bits. It had parts that Scootaloo would wear, therefore it had lightning bolts all over and a bunch of blue, and also, there were rainbow-colored gloves. It had stuff that Sweetie Belle would wear, hence the puffy skirt, also a bunch of shiny stuff and loads of ruffles. Actually, on the ends of the gloves, there were SHINY RUFFLES. Regardless, it looked really weird, and when Snowflake looked at herself in the mirror, she fell over laughing. Thankfully, her overly puffy skirt kept her from getting bruised. Her crown fell off and rolled across the floor, landing at Sweetie Belle's hooves. Sweetie sighed, looking at the crown and it's bright white snowflake design.

"Girls, I appreciate your help, but…" said Snowflake, unsure of how to phrase it. "But it's all a messed up jumble of stuff that doesn't make any sense?" said Scootaloo. "And we shouldn't have designed an outfit for ya that didn't match yur interests, but instead only captured ours?" added Apple Bloom. "And that if we had asked you what you wanted in a dress, we wouldn't have gotten this mess of a thing?" Sweetie Belle finished. "We know," they all chorused, "And we're sorry." "It's okay, girls," said Snowflake, "Wanna try again?" "You bet!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "Yeah!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "Great idea!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, DRESS MAKERS!" they all exclaimed, "AND WE'RE GONNA DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME!"


	6. Snowflakes

"Thanks, everypony!" exclaimed Snowflake, "Bye, and thanks for the dress!" "Bye, Snowflake!" the rest of the CMC chorused. Nopony got their cutie marks, but they had a ton of fun, and currently, on a black hanger, Snowflake held an icy blue dress. It had a bunch of ruffles, but not too many, and they were on the skirt, but nowhere else. There was a sash of Sweetie Belle's white coat color, and it was tied in the back with a huge bow, as Apple Bloom had suggested. The stockings were sky blue, like Rainbow Dash's coat, so were the gloves. Those hung from the hanger as well. There was the same silver chain necklace, but, hanging from it, was a little snowflake charm that Sweetie Belle had dug up.

Snowflake shut the door to the clubhouse behind her and walked down the ramp. Her Crusader cape flapped in the breeze with her brown, bob-cut hair. She smiled, she'd always loved the wintertime, and it was growing winter now. But she had to catch her train, so she couldn't look around much longer before she ran back to the train station, just in time to catch the train back to Canterlot.

When she arrived back in Canterlot, Snowflake was greeted by Luna. "Hi, mum!" she exclaimed. "How was your trip to Ponyville?" asked Luna. "Good," said Snowflake, "The Crusaders and I made this dress!" She held up her dress. "Wow," said Luna, admiring it, "Very nice!" "I'm also a Crusader now!" exclaimed Snowflake, demonstrating her cape. "Wow," said Luna, turning the cape over, "Is that gold silk?" "Yep!" Snowflake said happily, "We got it from Rarity!"

~Several months later, in Ponyville

Twilight and Snowflake had just gotten off the train at the station in Ponyville. The snow was all over the ground. "I've been sent to check on the snowflake making in Cloudsdale," said Twilight, "Want to come with?" "Sure!" exclaimed Snowflake, "Let's find that old balloon of yours!" "It's over here, kid!" exclaimed Rainbow, pointing. She was right. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed Snowflake. She ran over and climbed into the balloon. "I can pull this thing up to Cloudsdale, nice and fast, for ya both, Twilight!" exclaimed Rainbow. "Thanks, Rainbow," said Twilight, "You know as well as anypony else that I can't fly nearly as fast as you, or for that matter, any natural pegasus." "I know," said Rainbow, hooking herself up to the balloon via a rope. Twilight secured the rope and soon after, the balloon took off. "To Cloudsdale, here we come!" exclaimed Rainbow. "I'll cast a spell on you so you can walk on the clouds up there," said Twilight to Snowflake. "Okay," Snowflake replied, getting perfectly still.

Twilight cast her spell, and soon they arrived in Cloudsdale. Rainbow landed, parking the balloon, then she took off the apparatus. It wasn't snowing up here, they were above the clouds, after all. "Whoa," said Snowflake, never having been in the air before. "Whoa is right, kiddo," said Rainbow Dash, "Welcome to the home of the pegasi!" "Let's go to the weather factory," said Twilight, "Thanks, Rainbow." "Not a problem, 'Twi!" exclaimed Rainbow, saluting before trotting off. "Where's she going?" asked Snowflake. "No idea," said Twilight with a shrug, "But we should get going."

So they walked to the weather factory. Now, it's one odd thing to have a human walking around. It's an odder thing to have a princess AND a human walking around. And it's yet another to have a human and a princess walking around in Cloudsdale. And so you might expect them to receive multiple shocked looks from the ponies there. When they arrived in the weather factory, everypony was busy making snowflakes, then Twilight walked in. "Princess on deck!" exclaimed one of the ponies, and everypony faced her and bowed. Snowflake looked confused. She didn't know that pegasi had this custom, not unlike most militaries. But Twilight was calm and collected about it, and she said, "As you were. I have simply come to check on the snowflake production." "It's coming well, your highness," said a pink-maned, lavender-coated pegasus with a cutie mark of a sunflower, "We require some assistance, though." "I saw all the 'help wanted' posters around, and I came to help," said Twilight. "Your highness, you can't be suggesting…" said the pony. "Sunny Flower," said Twilight, "I came for that reason specifically. I also brought along Princess Luna's daughter, Snowflake." "Snowflake! Please, come in," said Twilight.

Snowflake walked inside.

Everypony bowed.

"At ease," said Snowflake, having watched Twilight, "I've simply come to assist Princess Twilight and the rest of you with the snowflake production." "Thank you," said Sunny, "It pleases us greatly that you two would come all this way, just to help us out." "Don't' worry 'bout it," said Snowflake, "Now, you guys wanna start with this snowflake-making?" The other ponies, obviously dumbstruck at how incredibly unofficial this person, this Princess, was acting, simply nodded. "Okay then," said Snowflake, "Somepony tell me what to do." "I'll do it," said Sunny Flower.

They walked over into a large room, it was incredibly frigid in there and the whole place was filled with ice. "This is our storage place for the frozen water needed to make the snowflakes," Sunny explained. "Okay, cool!" said Snowflake, "Literally!" Sunny didn't laugh, she simply rolled her eyes and continued into another room, where ponies were chopping the gigantic ice blocks into smaller ice blocks, then into ice sheets, and then finally sticking the sheets of ice onto conveyor belts which went through a hole in the wall and into the main room. "This is where the ponies take the blocks of ice and chop them down into the sheet sizes needed to make the snowflakes," Sunny explained. "Wow," said Snowflake.

"We use ponies to make these because we cannot simply make all snowflakes the same. That would be… destroying the gift of winter. Do you recall the Legend of Snowdrop?" said Sunny. "Yes," said Snowflake, "One of my favorite stories, actually, and it's true!" "Well, she believed that we should make every snowflake special, and that's how it has been ever since," Sunny explained, "So, are you ready to get to work?" "Yep!" exclaimed Snowflake. "Okay then," said Sunny, "Grab a sheet from that pile over there, and get to work. You'll be able to make twenty or thirty snowflakes out of each sheet."

Snowflake picked up a sheet, it was a square with about half a foot on each side. She gently brought it over and placed it under the microscope. She took the tool there, and she started carving intricate patterns into it. The whole time, she bit her tongue, trying to make sure that it wasn't messed up. In the end, it was a very oddly shaped thing indeed, tons of strangely placed holes everywhere. She picked up her snowflake gently in one hand. It began to melt. She instantly set it down again, and she put on a pair of gloves. Then she picked it up again on her fingertip and looked at it. The intricate designs didn't change one bit from the melting, although it was a little bumpy. She picked it up and showed it to Sunny. "It… it's…" said Sunny. "Dumb looking?" sighed Snowflake. "Gorgeous!" exclaimed Sunny, "Go put it in the pile, over there." She pointed to a pyramid-like tower of snowflakes. Snowflake placed hers on top, it completed the pyramid perfectly, sitting atop the rest on some sort of metaphorical throne. Then Twilight saw something, as did the rest of the ponies there.

A short, relatively dim flash of white light. Twilight trotted up to Snowflake. "Great work," said Twilight. "On what?" said Snowflake, confused. "Well, making that impressive snowflake," said Twilight, "That and getting your cutie mark." "I got my cutie mark?!" exclaimed Snowflake. She looked down. On her lower hip was a snowflake, exactly designed like the one she'd just made. "Congratulations, Snowflake," said Twilight. "My name and my cutie mark are the same thing!" exclaimed Snowflake with a giggle.

Snowflake got better and better at it, and soon she made so many snowflakes that they were no longer behind. "Thank you both," said Sunny as the two left, "Especially you, Snowflake." "Thanks, Sunny Flower," said Snowflake, waving before hopping into the balloon. Rainbow Dash was back, hooked up to the rope and everything. Twilight was already in the balloon. "Bye!" exclaimed Sunny. "Bye!" exclaimed Snowflake.


	7. One Of Her Kind

~5 years later…

Snowflake was on an enclosed sky chariot on her way back from Cloudsdale. There was significant air traffic on the direct route from Canterlot to Cloudsdale, so they had to take the long way round, which took them on a low flight over the Everfree Forest. Much to their surprise, however, there was something in their way. Now, normally, Ursa Majors don't come out of their caves unless provoked. Nopony provoked this one. It wasn't even rampaging. It had come out of its hole in the mountain, hadn't even seen the pony chariot when it was emerging, and the pegasus pony drawing the chariot had tried to avoid it to no avail. The chariot crashed, the pony pulling it barely got out. He flew away as quickly as he could. But when he landed in Ponyville, he remembered who was on board that chariot. He then flew as quickly as possible to Canterlot to inform Luna and Celestia and Twilight. They'd know what to do.

~Meanwhile…

A human boy, of around 16 years, was walking back to his cave home in the Everfree Forest when he saw the Ursa Major emerge from its cave. "Oh, hello, mom," he said, "You're not usually out of your cave. Stretching, I assume?" The huge constellation bear crouched down to look at him. "Yes," she said, "I'll be in soon. Make yourself some dinner, okay?" "No problem, mom," he said. He walked inside, looking at himself in the mirror (or, rather, the large piece of shiny metal that acted as a mirror for him) and saw his reflection, as usual. It'd be odd if he saw anything other than the youthful face, a necklace of claws around his neck and a crown of timberwolves' sticks on his head, the crown adorned with leaves as well. He took off the crown and set it on the table, then he took a cup of soup and sipped it. He sighed, picking up a note on the table and reading it to himself. "We have intercepted the most recent messages to Princess Celestia. They suspect nothing." That was what was on the note, scribbled in berry juice which had this blue-purple color.

The Ursa Major walked in. "Hello mom," said the boy respectively, "You are early. Would you like some stew?" "No thanks," said the Ursa, "I'd prefer pony. Thankfully we'll get some when we assault Canterlot, I'm going to enjoy the delicacy that is Celestia. Good riddance, I think. She's veritably insane." "I know," said the boy, "I have heard the stories." "I saw something odd when I was out earlier," said the Ursa, "I saw a pony chariot. It crashed. I don't think there were any ponies inside, though. If there were I could smell them." "Maybe we can still salvage the parts, though," he said, "I shall go check it out, mom." "Good idea," she said, "Good luck."

He ran, actually at a speed that could rival most ponies, to the site of the crash. There was a small amount of smoke rising from it, from the sheer friction of the chariot's parts. He saw the open door of the chariot and looked inside, nothing. Nothing at all. He looked around, to see if there were any ponies around. He got out his magically imbued, wooden dagger, although it was made of wood it was made of the same wood that had created the timberwolves, and therefore it was very strong, nearly as much as steel. It glowed green a little. Earlier, he'd used it to cut apart several berries, smearing the juice across his face to disguise his scent. He didn't know that Equestria had long since changed, and therefore thought that if he met any ponies, they'd want to kill him. He'd been told stories of woe by his adopted mother, the Ursa Major, an immortal constellation being who had lived since such olden times. But he was surprised to find something incredibly different.

There was a human.

A human girl.

She was laying there, dressed in a golden top that was also incredibly flexible, he'd never seen alluminite so he couldn't recognize the metal. She also wore a miniskirt, the same golden color. Just under her skirt, he saw her cutie mark. And so he was confused. He'd been told that humans didn't get cutie marks, unlike those barbarian ponies. Should he kill her, or should he save her? She'd lost a lot of blood, she was still bleeding profusely from her arms, legs, she had scratches all over her middle, and pretty much everywhere that wasn't covered by her sports-bra or miniskirt was bruised and scraped. She had a bloody nose and a bleeding lower lip as well, and she appeared to be unconscious. She was breathing, but very faintly, and she had a pulse, but it was growing weak. Knowing that if she was a pony, that he could interrogate her for information, and that if she was a human gathering forces to fight the ponies, which he could join with her, he gathered some medicinal herbs and healed her.

Soon she awoke, she sat against a rock, and she opened her eyes just a little to see the face in front of her. She opened her mouth to talk, and he lifted a bowl to her mouth, tilting it up and forcing her to drink it. So she did, it dribbled down her face a little and fell on her chest. She went to wipe it off, but the boy got there first, licking it up. She blushed a bit, but she didn't move. She didn't have the energy. But she had a little energy, and she used it to look at him and say, "Where am I?" "You are in the Everfree Forest," he said, "And what is your name?" "Snowflake," she said, "What's yours?" "I do not have a name," he said. "You need a name if you're gonna be my friend," said Snowflake. "Friend?" he asked, bewildered. He didn't have friends. He had his mom, which was counted as… family, he guessed, and he had his army. "Yes, friend," she said with a smile, grasping his hand between hers, "Have you never had a friend before?" He shook his head. "Well, I'm glad to be your friend," she said quietly, she groaned as she tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down. "No," he said simply, "You need rest."

"Okay," she said, "Come rest with me, then." "Okay," he said, "I shall go and get some food. Then I shall rest with you." "Thank you," she said, "By the way…" He turned to look at her. "Could you find my crown?" Snowflake asked. He looked bewildered. She looked around, then Snowflake found it. She pointed at it, the gold crown gleaming in the sunlight. He nodded, grabbed it and placed it beside her. "Thank you," she said, picking it up and placing it on her head. Then she closed her eyes and smiled. He went and gathered some berries.

He came back quite soon, bunches of berries in his hands that Snowflake either didn't recognize or couldn't name. "Eat," he said, "You shall feel better then." "If… you say so…" said Snowflake, gritting her teeth as she shifted enough to grab a berry. She placed it in her mouth, and she shivered from the sheer tanginess. Then she grimaced, because her injuries hurt when she moved, and she'd just involuntarily done so. "Careful, Snowflake," he said, "You may hurt yourself again. I believe you have broken a rib. You shall be okay, if you rest. Not so if you do not." "Okay," she said, "Then you'll have to feed me." He nodded and plucked several berries off, placing them in her mouth one by one. Snowflake continued smiling, even when her eyes showed that she was in great pain. "Even if she is a pony," he thought, "She has guts to keep smiling even when she is in pain." "I'm not a pony," she said, he'd been inadvertently staring at her cutie mark most of this time, trying to comprehend it, "But I was altered, like they were altered. And I was raised by ponies. My mother is Princess Luna, my aunt is her sister, Princess Celestia." "You… you know… Celestia?!" he exclaimed, "THAT MENACE DESTROYED OUR RACE!" "I know," said Snowflake, continuing to remain perfectly calm with a smile on her face as she explained, "But she wiped her own memories. She no longer is that same mare. She's nice, kind, compassionate… she helped raise me, for pony's sake!"

Half of him wanted to continue arguing that Celestia is evil, argue on the behalf of all the humans who were destroyed in the war. But the other half reasoned that, if Celestia had helped raise such a kind, happy… gorgeous… young girl, that she couldn't be that bad. At least, not anymore. "We must have our revenge on the ponies for killing off our race," he said, remaining determined. At least, half of him did. "You're doing it wrong," Snowflake said matter-of-factly, still smiling. "How?!" he exclaimed. "They taught me friendship, kindness, loyalty, honesty, generosity, laughter…" Snowflake said, "They made me the person I am today. I wouldn't be me if it wasn't for them. And I don't really consider myself a human. Just a really odd looking pony. I'm not a pony… But Dear Celestia knows I wouldn't mind if I was suddenly turned into one."

Then he came to the realization that he hadn't really seen Celestia being evil. Just heard about it. And now he was hearing something again, but hearing something from another human about how ponies are amazing. All his life, he'd been hearing from animals created by the humans, just like ponies were created by the humans, and that ponies are evil and terrible and killed off all the humans. "They only did that because they were sick of being slaves," half of him argued. "It was still wrong!" the other half retorted. "Maybe, but Equestria is a different place now than it was then, and your mom only does not realize that," the first half said simply. "I… would not mind… either…" he said finally. He'd be defying his own mother's orders, but it was okay. He needed to hear the truth. "May I come with to your home?" he asked. "Sure," said Snowflake, "But how do we get there?"

Meanwhile, he had already bounded over, pulled the chariot out of the hole it had created with the impact, and set it down. He hooked himself up to the chariot and pulled it over. "Like this," he said. Snowflake tried and failed to get up, then he unhooked himself and lifted her into the chariot, setting her on the cushy bench inside. Then he got back in the proper place and ran, incredibly fast, towards Ponyville.


	8. Red Runner

They arrived in Ponyville, and then the boy ran up to Twilight's library and unhooked himself from the chariot. He opened the door and lifted Snowflake out, carrying her inside the library and setting her on the couch. Her pain had recently subsided, probably due to his remedies. Suddenly Twilight walked in, seeing the boy and also Snowflake in their current conditions. "What happened?!" exclaimed Twilight, trotting over to Snowflake. "My chariot crashed," said Snowflake matter-of-factly, still with a smile on her face, "He saved me." She pointed to the boy. Twilight walked over and looked up at him. He was about two feet taller than her, maybe a bit less. He looked down at her. "Thank you," said Twilight, rearing and hugging him, a huge grin on her face, "What's your name?" "I do not have one," he said. "Well we can't be having that, can we?" said Twilight, "We'll just have to get you a name."

His hair was auburn, his face still bearing the berry juice marks in war paint-like stripes across his cheeks, his still vaguely beige skin the slightly darker than Snowflake's. "Red Runner," said Snowflake. For the first time since she'd met him, he smiled. He smiled and nodded. "Red Runner it is," said Twilight. "Um… May I…" said Snowflake, "May I call you 'Runner'?" "Sure," said Runner, walking over to her and running a hand down her face from her cheek. Snowflake blushed a little. She closed her eyes, relaxing, before she sat up not a half a minute later. "Runner?" said Snowflake, "Can you take me to the bed?" She pointed up the stairs. "I could just levitate…" said Twilight. "I have got it," said Red Runner, picking up Snowflake and bounding up the stairs. He opened the door with his mouth, and he carried her inside. Twilight smiled and sighed.

~Meanwhile, in Canterlot…

"Where do you think Snowflake is?" asked Celestia, "She should be back by now." Luna shrugged. "Not sure," said Luna, "But knowing Snowflake, it may be a while." "YOUR HIGHNESS!" exclaimed a pegasus guard, bursting through the doors, "SNOWFLAKE'S CARRIAGE CRASHED IN THE EVERFREE FOREST!" "Or that could happen," Celestia commented. "Rally the guards! Search the forest and all of Ponyville! I want her found!" exclaimed Luna, acting like a mother worried about her child, because that's what she was, and that's what she was doing. Meanwhile, Luna herself wanted to fly to Ponyville, but Celestia insisted that she come as well, so they rode in a sky chariot. Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow were pulling the balloon with Snowflake and Red Rider inside it. Those two were sitting inside the balloon basket.

Celestia and Luna's chariot, an open-topped one, flew toward Ponyville. Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow were pulling the balloon toward Canterlot. Soon, they met. Luna, when she saw the balloon, said, "Where's Snowflake?! Is she all right?!" She was incredibly worried. Twilight pointed to the balloon basket. Snowflake pushed open the door to the balloon, hung onto one of the ropes supporting the basket, and leaned out. Her hair flapped in the breeze, the high altitude and the wind blowing her hair out to the side. She leaned out the door, grasping the rope in her hand, then she smiled at Luna and waved. Her skirt blew with her hair and her Crusader cape, they'd let her stay in the Crusaders to help the rest get their cutie marks. She was now a 'Veteran Crusader', as they called her, and they'd had Rarity embroider her cutie mark onto her cape, just above the Crusader emblem on each side. "I'm not a veteran of anything yet," she'd say, "And you're still my bestest friends!" Then they'd all laugh and join in for a group hug.

Luna gasped. "Snowflake!" she exclaimed when she saw all the bumps and bruises and bloody scratches all over her. Luna winced when she spotted the bandage around her middle, the bandage that held her mending rib together. She was still in a lot of pain, though not as much as before, but still she smiled. Red Runner looked up at her. "I don't know why," he thought, "But girls are twice as gorgeous when they're all banged up like that. It's so cute…" He sighed and watched as Celestia waved back. He didn't know who it was. But then he noticed her cutie mark. That sun… it had to be…

She didn't look insane. She didn't look at all strange, she looked nice and compassionate, her expression was constantly a benevolent and nearly motherly one. And her radiant smile was all he needed to see that she wasn't the mare she'd been before. Celestia, the ruthless tyrant who killed off his entire race, had actually wiped her own memory, had actually become somepony completely new. And he actually managed to get up, he held the side of the basket and waved at Celestia, smiling. She smiled back and waved.

They went back to Canterlot, where Snowflake's major wounds were treated and her bandages removed. She was magically and non-magically treated by the Royal Physicians and Royal Magicians. Those were, respectively, ponies who specialized in healing, and unicorns of high levels that Celestia kept around, just in case. Red Runner sort of sat on the couch and waited as Snowflake was treated within an inch of her life. He realized that, if that had been him, he would have been itching to get it over with. But Snowflake stood perfectly still, smiling and answering all their questions about what happened. He heard his name mentioned multiple times.

After Snowflake was treated, her bandages switched for clean ones, and her fractured rib healed as much as they could for now, she walked over and sat by Red Runner on the couch. "Hi," she said quietly. "Hello," he said, and then he returned to looking at the wall. He wasn't quite comfortable talking with ponies around. "Want to come with me?" asked Snowflake. She stood up and walked, slowly, to the staircase leading to the upper level and their rooms. Runner pondered for a moment before nodding and following her, bounding up the stairs like some sort of rabbit.

They arrived at her door, a bright white one adorned with curly blue streaks and a snowflake at the top of the doorframe. She opened the door and ushered him inside. "I have to be in these clothes all the time, it's supposed to be comfortable, but I find it itchy," said Snowflake, facing her drawers as she took everything off, "You don't mind, do you?" He shook his head. She got into a robe, it was very shiny but he wasn't sure of what it was made. She lay on her bed and faced the couch. She pointed at the couch. "Sit," she said. He sat.

"So," she said, "Tell me about yourself."


End file.
